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Organizers Delay DelFest Due To Coronavirus

Apr 2, 2020

11:41 am PDT

Nate Todd

Photo by Shelly Swanger via DelFest

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DelFest delayed its 2020 event due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The festival was set to take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 21 – 24 in Cumberland, Maryland and organizers are looking at possible summer dates or even postponing to 2021.

Rob and Ronnie McCoury released a statement yesterday detailing the decision to postpone and more. Read it below:

Folks~

First, let us start by saying, since this is unfortunately coming out on April 1, this is not some sort of April Fool’s prank. This is all very real.

We want to thank you for all the prayers and well wishes you’ve sent our family’s way. They are very much appreciated and needed. Dad, Mom, and all of our family are healthy and safe, and we send our prayers back to each of your homes.

Even three weeks ago it would’ve been impossible to imagine the place we now find ourselves in. We’ve watched–as have all of you–as the reports have changed daily. We’ve wrestled with where DelFest fits into the grand scheme of things, but so many of you have asked that we take our time and remember what this festival means to all of us.

Over the years, our family has come to truly understand that DelFest belongs to the fans, the community, and the artists who have made it so special, so we take any decision to postpone very seriously. So many of you have said this is your annual get together with family and friends from across the country–military families plan their leaves together, kids meet up with other kids who’ve grown up with the festival, etc. We also can’t overlook that it’s vitally important to the economy of Western Maryland. With all of this in mind, we have acted on the advice of many trusted counselors and taken the time to review all options.

Even a week ago, we thought it might be possible to hold the festival safely at the end of May, and now we have come to realize that holding an event at the end of May could risk the health of the attendees, artists, staff, and community we hold so dear. At this time we can say with certainty that having the event on Memorial Day weekend is not a possibility. We are currently looking into the possibility of moving it later this summer or postponing until 2021, and will have more information about that soon. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

We are asking you to hang in there with us while we put these plans in place. Once we have a final decision, we will let you know how that impacts your tickets, and what the options are. However, as this is a trying time for many folks, we don’t want to make it any harder. If your circumstance is such that you absolutely need a refund at this time, please click here and we will work with you. If you can stick with us, knowing that your tickets will be valid for a future DelFest, we appreciate it.

Let us assure you, there is no possibility that we would ever make a decision that would put our dad and mom at risk, so we would never ask you to put your family at risk. We are talking with local, regional, and state authorities every few days to gather as much information as possible so that we can make the best decision for all of us.

Regardless of the decision we ultimately make, you can trust that our family has always tried to operate by the Golden Rule, and nothing will ever change that. We will treat each of you the way we’d like to be treated.